Good interior paint that won't break the bank?

[sherry7]

Our house is only 6 1/2 years old, but the builder used flat paint, which is pretty much impossible to clean. So, the entire house BADLY needs painted, and I'm hoping that the hubby can get it all done before the baby arrives in May.

In the past we've used Sherwin Williams paint, but at around $40 a gallon, it will cost a small fortune to paint the entire house. I was reading an issue of Consumer Reports at the doctor's office a few months ago, and remember reading an article about which interior paints were recommended. I recall that a couple of them were less expensive paints.

Does anyone have the old issue of Consumer Reports that had that article? Or, can you recommend a good, durable, and decently priced interior paint? We plan on using satin/eggshell on the walls; semi-gloss on the trim and doors; and ceiling paint on the ceiling.

Thanks!

 

[cindycastle30]

I would stick with the Sherwin Williams paint, yes I know it costs a lot but these are the walls you are going to live with for a long time. Maybe if you do a few of the rooms the same color you could get a five gallon pail for cheaper. I love the Duration brand that they sell for interior, dirt and marks wipe off of it very easily. Look in the entertainment book for coupons or wait for a holiday, they usually have a sale at that time, brings the price down a little.

 

[katierae81]

My dad just repainted pretty much every room of his house. He started with Sherwin Williams, and then switched to Valspar from Lowe's. He liked the Valspar better; not only because it was much cheaper, but it covered just as good if not better. My mom also just used the new Behr paint with primer built in. We were able to cover over a bright blue with a light peach in just one coat. HTH! Good luck!

PS...If you add some clear vanilla extract to your paint, you won't have that 'paint' smell in your house for days.

 

[HunnyPots]

Honestly? I buy my paint at WalMart for about $15 a gallon and have never been dissatisfied with it. Unless you're making an extreme color change, it will cover in one coat and it's as durable as anything I've ever tried. Don't know what else you could ask a paint to do, short of being "self-applying"!

 

[SaraJayne]

I only use Behr paint.

 

[kellia]

We like Glidden, sold at Home Depot. HATE Sears and Lowe's brands.

And NEVER NEVER NEVER buy Behr's sand wash paint!!! Just had to warn about that, don't want anyone else faced with that nightmare.

 

[DMickey28]

I am pretty partial to Behr paint. I tired a few others, cheaper ones, and did not care for them at all.

 

[pantherlj]

Getting ready to paint a couple of rooms here for the same reason! Already did most of them, 2 left.

I prefer Behr. I did the kitchen or one of the bathrooms with Sears paint and didn't like it at all!

Trying to decide what kind (not brand) to use in my master bathroom. I don't want a "shiny" look but know that I need something for moisture. The girl's bathroom is to shiny.

 

[NVDisMom]

Kilz from Walmart. Goes on nice and smooth, one coat, and lasts for ages, and doesn't break the bank! The worst part is the waiting at Walmart for the usually incredily slow employee to mix up more than a gallon at a time. Definitely plan on doing some other shopping while waiting or coming back in a bit after running other errands.

 

[NVDisMom]

We like Glidden, sold at Home Depot. HATE Sears and Lowe's brands.

And NEVER NEVER NEVER buy Behr's sand wash paint!!! Just had to warn about that, don't want anyone else faced with that nightmare.

Are you talking about the sand texture mixed into the paint? That stuff is super stinky, but turns out really well if you do a second coat with a hand held brush in a random cross hatch sort of pattern. We used it as an accent wall in a dining room and it was gorgeous. But, oh my, the smell

 

[Tinkerbelle9980]

We generally buy the line Pittsburgh Paints line (Grand Distinctions) from Menard's. It seems they always have a rebate available. We have always had good luck with it. It seems to cover well and doesn't smell for very long.

 

[okeydokey]

I only use Behr paint.

We do too. It consistently scores very well in Consumer Reports testing. We are painting DDs room this weekend and I upgraded to the paint with primer built in. I think it was $33 a gallon.

 

[elgerber]

We generally buy the line Pittsburgh Paints line (Grand Distinctions) from Menard's. It seems they always have a rebate available. We have always had good luck with it. It seems to cover well and doesn't smell for very long.

We bought some Dutch Boy at Menards, and it was so terrible, that my dh went back and made them take it back and give us our money back towards the Grand Distinctions. Wow, what a difference it made!

 

[elgerber]

CR recommended these...

Best flat and satin paints:
A1 M.A.B. $40
A3 Kilz $20 CR Best Buy
A4 Valspar $33
A5 California $38
A7 Kilz $22 CR Best Buy

All were impressive at resisting cracking. A3 was particularly good for sunny locations, and A4 and A7 were better for shady or urban areas. A1 and A5 are also top performers but cost more. Best semigloss paint:
A2 Kilz $23 CR Best Buy

This top-rated product performed better than more expensive brands.

 

[donald&daisy]

I like the Kilz from Wal-Mart. We painted almost every room in the house with it and it did great. We did mainly lighter colors, but one darker and they all turned out fine. When I went to paint my office at my new job, I opted for the cheaper Wal-Mart brand and it was a MISTAKE! It was awful coverage and we had to do 3 coats and we were painting over an off-white surface. I wished I would have just bought the Kilz.

 

[tlh0726]

I use Valspar paint. We have 5 rental homes plus our own home = alot of paint.
Tried other brands and they just do not have the same "feel" to them.
Will stick to Valspar.

 

[minnie1928]

I like Fresh Aire paint at Home Depot. It's a no VOC paint, so it has absolutely no odor. I also like that the color is in a separate package from the actual paint, Home Depot just puts the paint color bag in the can and mixes it up (the bag dissolves). This ensures that every can is exactly the same color as the other cans.

 

[kkwis2]

I am also a Behr paint user! We used to use the cheaper stuff from Menard's but switched to Behr when Home Depot opened in our city about 10 years ago. I think Behr runs about $25.00 for the regular (not the new one with the primer included).

Good luck! I hate to paint! They make it look soooooo easy in all the home improvement shows. . . . . "Try new colors. If you don't like it it's cheap and easy to change!" Right! Not terribly expensive maybe, but what about my time?! Yuck!

OK, I'm biased right now though because in the last several months we have bought 12 (yes, 12!) sample paints, painted the bathroom twice and need to paint it again because I don't the last color we put on. ARGHHH!

 

[pixiewings71]

We used Behr when we rebuilt, it's been 3 years now and it still looks great. Home Depot is where we got our paint.

 

[sherry7]

CR recommended these...

Best flat and satin paints:
A1 M.A.B. $40
A3 Kilz $20 CR Best Buy
A4 Valspar $33
A5 California $38
A7 Kilz $22 CR Best Buy

All were impressive at resisting cracking. A3 was particularly good for sunny locations, and A4 and A7 were better for shady or urban areas. A1 and A5 are also top performers but cost more. Best semigloss paint:
A2 Kilz $23 CR Best Buy

This top-rated product performed better than more expensive brands.

This is the article I remember reading in the Consumer Reports magazine, and Kilz is the inexpensive paint that I was trying to remember the name of. Thanks for posting the info. But...what to A1, A3, A4, etc mean? Also, were any of the good-rated Kilz paints the satin/eggshell variety?